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House Ag Committee Holds Budget Review Session

Budget letter adopted and will be sent to House Budget Committee.

Mar 08, 2012

The House Committee on Agriculture met Wednesday morning to consider the budget views and estimates letter for the agencies and programs under jurisdiction of the Committee for fiscal year 2013. Committee Chairman Frank Lucas, R-Okla., said that ultimately the goal is to craft fiscally responsible policy that helps farmers and ranchers across the country thrive while keeping within budget restraints.

"For the past year, this Committee has worked to identify areas for potential deficit reduction while also seeking ways to stimulate job creation," Lucas said. "We will continue that work in 2012, primarily through the reauthorization of the farm bill."

Lucas commented that the committee has gotten the message that crop insurance needs to be a focus of the next farm bill and that they plan to ensure crop insurance remains available to help producers manage risk. He also said the Agriculture Committee will work to ensure that the Farm Bill has more efficient conservation programs that help producers as they work to preserve natural resources and also will continue work to reduce unnecessary regulatory burdens on job-creators. That includes environmental, agricultural, and labor regulations.

"We have already demonstrated that we can step up and be fiscally responsible while providing a safety net for America's farmers and America's hungry," said Ranking Member Collin Peterson, D-Minn. "This letter makes clear that if the Agriculture Committee is allowed to do its job, we will work together and reduce the deficit in a responsible way while continuing to best represent our constituents."

The committee adopted the budget views and estimates letter which outlines the committee's budget recommendations for the agencies and programs under its jurisdiction and it will now be submitted to House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, R-Wisc., as required by section 301(d) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, as well as House Rule X, clause 4(f).